Cucumber

By Sibéal McCourt-Bincoletto

Since afternoon tea is taking my focus, it seems only logical to pay attention to an unsung hero of this ritual. Cucumber seems to be a foundation in any book or article appearing about afternoon tea. Cucumber is also a highly adaptable fruit (yes it’s a fruit) for eating, cosmetics (who hasn’t seen a picture of cucumbers placed over the
eyes?) aromatherapy, and much more. The cucumber has been used for thousands of years as a natural coolant for the palate.

	As a cosmetic, cucumber is apparently excellent for rubbing over the skin to keep it soft and white. It is cooling, healing and soothing to an irritated skin, whether caused by sun, or the effects of a rash, and cucumber juice is in great demand in various forms as a cooling and
beautifying agent for the skin. Cucumber soap is now regularly available and a cucumber wash applied to the skin after exposure to keen winds is reputed to be extremely beneficial.

History

The cucumber is believed native to India, and evidence indicates that it has been cultivated in western Asia for 3,000 years. From India it spread to Greece and Italy, where the Romans were especially fond of the crop, and later into China. The Romans probably introduced it into other parts of Europe. Records of cucumber cultivation appear in France in the 9th century, in England in the 14th century, and in North America by the mid-16th century.

Emperor Tiberius had it on his table daily, summer and winter. Pliny describes the Italian fruit as very small, probably like a gherkin; the same form is figured in Herbals of the sixteenth century, but states, 'if hung in a tube while in blossom, the Cucumber will grow to a most surprising length.'

In Bible history, the Israelites in the wilderness complained to Moses that they missed the luxuries they had in Egypt, 'Cucumbers and Melons,' and Hasselquist in his travels (middle of eighteenth century) states: 'they still form a great part of the food of the lower-class people in Egypt serving them for meat, drink and physic.'

The Spaniards brought cucumbers to Haiti in 1494. In 1535 Cartier found "very great cucumbers" grown on the site of what is now Montreal. DeSoto, in 1539, saw cucumbers in Florida "better than in Spain." Captains Amidas and Barlow found cucumbers in Native American gardens in Virginia in 1584. The Iroquois was also growing them when the first Europeans visited them.

Throughout the 1500s, European trappers, traders, buffalo hunters, and explorers bartered for the products of Native American agriculture. The tribes of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains learned from the Spaniards how to grow European vegetables. The best farmers on the Great Plain were the Mandans in what are now the Dakotas. When the Europeans came to Mandan villages, the tribe were growing some dozen or more varieties of corn, at least six kinds of beans, and an amazing number of pumpkins, squashes, and gourds. To these they quickly added cucumbers and watermelons obtained from the Spaniards.

Colonial New England was famous for its love of gardens of all types, and for its superior gardening techniques learned from the Dutch. John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, planted a garden on Conant's Island in Boston Harbour that was long known as "The Governor's Garden." There is a glowing description published in London in 1630 by the Reverend Francis Higginson in his book New-England's

Plantation:
The countrie aboundeth naturally with store of roots of great varietie and good to eat. Our turnips, parsnips, and carrots are here both bigger and sweeter than is ordinary to be found in England. Here are store of pompions, cowcumbers, and other things of that nature which I know not….

William Wood came to New England in 1629, and, returning to England in 1633, published in the next year's New England’s Prospect, in which he describes the flora, fauna, and agriculture of the new country:

The ground affoards very good kitchin gardens, for Turneps, Parsnips, Carrots, Radishes, and Pompions, Muskmillons, Isquoter-squashes, coucumbars, Onyons, and whatever grows well in England grows as well there, many things being better and larger.

In the later 1600s, a widespread prejudice developed against fresh fruits and salads, or any product of the orchard or garden that had not been cooked. Newspapers, magazines, and books contained articles by writers on health claiming that these esculents uncooked

brought on a whole train of summer diseases and should, in particular, be forbidden to children. When, soon afterwards, diet reform swept over the colonies and "simple, natural, plain foods" were recommended (as well as eating less meat), the cucumber had difficulty shedding its bad reputation: "Fit only for consumption by cows," by which came the name cowcumber. Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary on 22 September 1663: "This day Sir W. Batten tells me that Mr. Newhouse is dead of eating cowcumbers, of which the other day I heard of another, I think." Though cucumbers were brought early from the Old World, grown in many a garden, and are mentioned in several eighteenth-century advertisements, nothing is found to be said about varieties until 1806, when M'Mahon, in his Gardener's Calendar, named eight, all from the Old World. Modern cucumbers gradually evolved from these and other European varieties without planned hybridization, or much selection, until 1872, when Tailby's hybrid was exhibited. After that, especially from 1880 to the present, much interest has been shown in breeding this vegetable. Most of the kinds now grown by gardeners and truckers have originated since 1900. Modern cucumbers are little like those listed by M'Mahon in 1806. Types of Cucumbers   The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) as are melons, squash and pumpkins. Cucumbers grown for pickling (picklers) and those grown for fresh market (slicers) are the same species. Fruit of fresh market cucumbers are longer, smooth rather than bumpy, have a more uniform green skin colour and a tougher, glossier skin than fruit of picklers. The flavor and texture of both types of cucumbers are similar. Pickling cucumbers are sometimes sold fresh as 'Kirby' or 'Liberty' cucumbers. The common slicing cucumber is a long, cylindrical, green-skinned member of the gourd family. Inside, crisp white flesh surrounds the seeded core. Cucumbers are usually eaten raw and are available year-round.     English cucumbers can grow as long as 2 feet. They are nearly seedless. Seeds can cause indigestion, so English cucumbers are also known as Burpless. Their skin is deep green and their flesh creamy to crisp white. They are available year-round. The Japanese cucumber is a mild slicing cucumber. Thought to have originated in India or Thailand, the Japanese cucumber is a staple of Eastern and Western cooking. This cucumber is slender and deep green with a bumpy, ridged skin. Its taste is mild. Japanese cucumbers can be used in salads or for pickling. They are available year-round. Kirby cucumbers, also known as pickling cucumbers, are small -- ranging from 3 to 6 inches long. They are often irregularly shaped and have bumpy skin with tiny white or black dotted spines. Kirby cucumbers are never waxed. Their skin can be creamy yellow to pale or dark green. They are great for pickling, and are available year-round. Selection and Storage: For common slicing cucumbers, choose firm, unblemished cucumbers. Check for soft spots, especially at ends. Avoid cucumbers with yellow streaks, as they are past their prime. Refrigerate them unwashed, in a plastic bag for up to 1 week. Preparation and Cooking Tips: Wash common cucumbers well or, if necessary, peel to remove the waxy coating. If the cucumber is very young, the seeds are tender and do not need to be removed. As the cucumber matures, the seeds become bigger and bitterer. To remove seeds, slice the cucumber in half lengthwise. Drag a spoon through the seeds to remove them. Slice an inch from each end of the cucumber, as bitterness tends to gather there. English cucumbers can be used in gazpacho or other cold soups, salads, sandwiches or dips. Cook English cucumbers over low heat until just tender Wash Japanese cucumbers well or, if necessary, peel to remove waxy preservative. Slice an inch from each end, as bitterness tends to gather there. Japanese cucumbers can be gently cooked. Never cook over high heat or the cucumber will turn to mush. Scrub Kirby cucumbers gently with a soft brush or a washcloth. Bitterness accumulates in the ends of cucumbers, so trim 1/2 inch at each end. Kirby cucumbers have a natural affinity for cider vinegar, dill and celery seeds. Putting up jars of pickles is a well-rewarded effort. Kirby cucumbers may also be cooked with Japanese seasonings and then chilled or served at room temperature.

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